Cognitive Engineering

Our relationship with temptation stretches back to stories from the bible and antiquity. Whether it is eating the forbidden fruit or opening Pandora’s box, temptation seems intimately linked to human nature. But is it our responsibility to remove temptation from others or is this an area where the so-called nanny state seeks to interfere with our personal choices? In this week’s podcast, we discuss temptation. We focus our attention on the example of bringing cake into the office. In doing so, we discuss deontology and consequentialism, ego depletion, the marshmallow test, and the economic theory of time inconsistency. Nick presents his temptability index and we reveal our favourite cakes and gastronomic temptations. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Bringing cake to the office is as harmful as passive smoking https://news.sky.com/story/bringing-cake-to-office-as-harmful-as-passive-smoking-uk-food-watchdog-says-12789287 - The psychology of temptation https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.10

In the UK we have all become accustomed to living in a democratically stable country. Yet if you trace back history it reveals that even stable countries are susceptible to a coup d’etat. This got us thinking, how do you stage a successful coup? In this week’s podcast, we discuss coups. We examine recent examples of coups around the world and ask if coups are making a comeback? We reveal the difference between coups and revolutions, draw insights from a dataset on coups and muse over historical case studies in the UK context such as the Harold Wilson plot. Finally, we draw up a fictitious plot to overthrow the British government and put forward our list of would-be demands and policies. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63885028 - Coups are making a comeback https://www.axios.com/2022/01/30/coup-attemps-countries-around-world - Armed Forces continuous attitude survey: 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/statisti

As the northern hemisphere continues to endure the depths of winter, we cast our minds back to the summer holidays of last year. Busy holidays are often filled with enduring reflections, while others that are full of rest and relaxation can feel comparatively void of memories. So what should we be optimising for holidays - fun or memories? In this week’s podcast, we discuss holiday optimisation. Should we be designing our holidays to maximise memory capture or to have an enjoyable time? We discuss memory models, Daniel Kahneman’s cognitive psychology approach to life satisfaction, the peak-end rule and how holidays can foster social bonds and affect wellbeing. Finally, we share our most memorable holidays and design our own perfect holiday. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Leisure and subjective well-being: A model of psychological mechanisms as mediating factor https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258511569_Leisure_and_Subjective_Well-Being_A_Model_of_Psychological_Mechanisms_as_Mediating_

At the time, the decision of what to study feels like one of the most important decisions we will ever make. It is only with the wisdom of hindsight that many of us realise the degree we studied had little bearing on our lives. But do the degrees we study have an impact on our future careers and is this impact measurable? In this week’s podcast, we discuss choosing a degree. What motivates students to select particular degrees over others? And why does there seem to be a discrepancy between what students decide to study and getting a job in the thing they are studying? We unpack the idea of ‘risky’ degrees, weigh in on the STEM subjects vs arts degrees debate and Nick reveals which is the best degree to study if you want a successful career. Finally, we share the degrees we would do if we had our time again. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Stereotypes about fields of study https://johnjconlon17.github.io/website/Conlon_Patel_stereotypes.pdf - The degrees that make you rich... and the ones th

We often think of our leaders as serious and dignified figures that don’t engage in any fun or frivolity. Those that reach the highest levels of office are expected to remain above reproach as examples to the rest of us. But do we set unrealistic expectations for our leaders and is it acceptable for us to see them enjoying themselves? In this week’s podcast, we discuss partying prime ministers. We debate the idea of public image in an age of social media, and the nature of responsibility and how it is interpreted. We muse over the pastimes of previous prime ministers, defecating monarchs, and ask whether there is a level of hypocrisy in the expectations we set for those that govern us. Finally, we speculate on which former leaders would have had the most colourful social media histories. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Sanna Marin: Partying Finnish PM cleared of neglecting duties https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63517303 For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https:/

If you were an avid cinema-goer in the 1980s and 1990s, it would’ve felt like almost every blockbuster film was set in New York. But fast-forward to the present day and the number of films set in the city has declined sharply. Why aren’t films set in New York anymore and is it part of a more general trend of films not being set in the real-world? In this week’s podcast, we discuss New York in film. We hark back to the gritty glamour of 1980s New York, discuss how globalisation may have changed the international film industry and analyse the highest grossing films of previous decades. Nick presents his realism index for films and we share some of our favourite films set in New York. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - List of films set in New York City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_in_New_York_City - Satisfaction with own life five times higher than with U.S.https://news.gallup.com/poll/389375/satisfaction-own-life-five-times-higher.aspx For more information on Aleph Insights

As loyal listeners to the podcast will know, we regard the Conservative politician Sir Gavin Williamson as a source of almost endless fascination. His personal idiosyncrasies and unusual career path seem unique. But do politicians play by the same rules as the rest of us or are they held to an entirely different standard? In this week’s podcast, we discuss Sir Gavin Williamson. We sketch out the synergies between politics, sport, finance and the arts, present data on personality traits for leadership and speculate on the personality types of previous prime ministers. Finally, we share our worst character traits and reveal who we regard as the most underrated prime ministers. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Gavin Williamson text messages unacceptable, PM says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63530070 - Commons watchdog hints at potential Gavin Williamson investigation https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/nov/15/commons-watchdog-hints-potential-gavin-williamson-investigation - Perso

Nick recently made the surprising discovery that Mrs. Brown’s Boys continues to attract millions of viewers each week on prime-time television. So, we asked ourselves, why are there films, music and television programmes that appear to be universally loathed, but are inexplicably popular? Are there any identifiable traits or patterns that can lead us closer to explaining this phenomenon? In this week’s podcast, we discuss things that seem universally hated but are popular. Is it the result of a marketing ploy by film, television and public relation executives, or is it simply a mismatch between the cultural status of a particular product and its perceived level of quality? We discuss the Nash equilibrium, try-hards, shy Tories, Kanye West and Mrs. Browns Boys. Finally, we share some of the guilty pleasures in our cultural consumption. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Mrs Brown’s Ultimate Funniest Moments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rC2rfCj3sk - Mrs Brown's Boys Wins Situation Comedy BAFTA

We’ve all experienced that feeling after a long, perhaps arduous, journey of finally arriving back home. In fact, it may not even matter if it was a trip down to the local supermarket or halfway across the world, the feeling of arriving back at home safely and securely feels universal. But have we invented this idea of home? In this week’s podcast, we discuss going home. How does the feeling of home work for nomads and those without a home? Does our concept of home change depending on how far away we are from it? We explore the idea of homeownership, shibboleths, privacy and Nick proposes a test for feeling at home based on the level of homesickness. Finally, we share the things we most look forward to upon arriving home. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - What do Nomads call home? https://uncorneredmarket.com/what-do-nomads-call-home/ - Rising numbers of UK renters say their situation is causing depressionhttps://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/rising-numbers-of-uk-renters-say-their-situat

Some of our listeners will only know the late Robbie Coltrane from his performances as Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series, despite a long and varied career in film and television. But what happens when one of our cultural references dies? Is it our responsibility to find new ones, and if so, where do we start looking? In this week’s podcast, we discuss cultural references. We explore the measure of a good cultural reference and debate whether they can be mobilised for culture war debates. In addition to Robbie Coltrane, we make reference to the Humphreys milk adverts, the Milk Tray man, aluminium Christmas trees, The Shining, and cringey memes. We also share some of our most embarrassing and revealing cultural reference moments. For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image: Edinburgh International Film Festival via Flickr

Historians often refer to the Renaissance, the Enlightenment period in England and 1960s pop music as golden ages. These are seen as periods of great advancement in the arts and scientific discovery. But how do you get one? In this week’s podcast, we discuss golden ages. How do you foster a golden age, what are the required conditions and can we predict one in advance? We explore the history of golden ages, put forward a model for determining a golden age lifecycle and finally, make predictions about where you are likely to find a future golden age. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Perseus Digital Library: Hesiod, Works and Days https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0132%3Acard%3D109 - Wikipedia: Golden age (metaphor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age_(metaphor) - List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1960 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_200_number-one_albums_of_1960 - List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1970 https://en.wiki

Do high budgets for films and television series lead to high-quality productions? Or does spending too much money actually make the end product worse? In this week’s podcast, we discuss big budgets. We use Amazon’s Rings of Power series to question whether a large budget is a necessary condition for success in film and television. We discuss the economic theory of resource scarcity, hubristic planning, white elephants, the Mythical Man-Month, and the Swedish warship Vasa. We widen the lens of the conversation to ask how large budgets affect decision-making and even draw an analogy between large film budgets and military spending. Finally, we share some of our favourite high and low-budget films. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Big-budget films are getting worse — and we can prove it https://www.vox.com/2016/4/4/11351788/batman-v-superman-terrible-reviews - Why movies cost so much to make (Investopedia) https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0611/why-movies-cost-so-much-to-make.aspx - Movi

What are the ingredients of a good conversation? Does it require a balance between conversational givers and takers or is it simply down to taking an interest in what your interlocutor is saying? In this week’s podcast, we discuss conversations. We debate whether there is an optimal way to conduct a conversation and put forward a series of explanations based on our own idiosyncratic approaches. We discuss sideways conversations, the rationalist movement and share some of our most memorable conversations. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - LessWrong: Conversations https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/conversation-topic - Good conversations have lots of doorknobs https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/good-conversations-have-lots-of-doorknobs - Do conversations end when people want them to? https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2011809118 - Michael Parkinson interviews Meg Ryan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blpq-Iwu25s For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.

There seems to be an ever-growing list of examples that reminds us we are living through an age of nostalgia for past media. Black and white photography, vinyl records and the iPod Classic are all experiencing renewed popularity, but what can we put this down to? In this week’s podcast, we discuss future nostalgia. What are the technologies and media we will feel nostalgic about in the future and are they simply a reflection of current limitations and imperfections? We discuss The Commitments, hauntology, 90s website revivalism, artificial intelligence language models, and share some of our predictions for future technology nostalgia. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Brian Eno on technological imperfections https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/649039-whatever-you-now-find-weird-ugly-uncomfortable-and-nasty-about - Steam: Into the Breach https://store.steampowered.com/app/590380/Into_the_Breach/ - John Cage’s 4’33” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4 - CGI from The Mummy Returns https://w

It’s a question that has left many puzzled. What, in fact, is a sandwich? Is it the classic two slices of bread, Earl of Sandwich creation? Or is it simply anything in a similar arrangement? In this week’s podcast, we discuss sandwiches. Tom harks back to his Swedish heritage by posing the question, is an open-sandwich a sandwich? From here we discuss logical positivism, neural networks and Quine’s seminal work ‘Two Dogmas of Empiricism’. Finally, we share some of our favourite sandwich creations and experiences. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Logical Empiricism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logical-empiricism/ - Two Dogmas of Empiricism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Dogmas_of_Empiricism - John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Sandwich For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image by FreeFoodImages via Wikimedia Commo

As King Charles III was proclaimed the new monarch of the UK and the Commonwealth realms, we were left questioning if the era of deference is a thing of the past or if it does still hold some meaning today. In this week’s podcast, we discuss deference. Do kings and queens deserve the level of deference they receive or is it an anachronism? We attempt to define the key components of deference, speculate on the differences between deference and respect, discuss the If-By-Whiskey fallacy, Robert Sapolsky’s seminal study of savanna baboons, the Household Cavalry and of course, the Queen’s funeral. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - The origins of deference: When do people prefer lower status? https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-05214-001 - Prospect: How deference is smothering the conversation Britain needs https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/deference-smothering-conversation-britain-needs-monarchy-republic-queen-elizabeth-king-charles - The London School of Economics and Political Science:

What makes certain types of crime cool and are there any rules? Why is it that the arts and media glorify different forms of criminality over others? In this week’s podcast, we delve into the world of cool criminals. We discuss the difference between pirates and privateers, the Byronic hero, the mafia, Baader Meinhof and Narco ballads. Nick presents his theory on how to make crimes cool and we speculate on the origins of coolness itself. Finally, we share some of our favourite crimes and criminals. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Lance Gooden wants to make privateering great again https://texassignal.com/lance-gooden-wants-to-make-privateering-great-again/ - Too Great a Cruelty: ARCHAEOLOGY's Top Ten Vicious Pirate Actshttps://archive.archaeology.org/online/reviews/pirates/poll.html - Baader-Meinhof: The glamorous and beguiling face of militant violencehttps://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/long-reads/baader-meinhof-germany-terrorists-b829163.html For more information on Aleph

As Britain enters a new era with the passing of the Queen, we revisit a previous podcast on the past, tradition and nostalgia. We even make mention of the new King. ------------------------ Do you prefer Rembrandt or Rothko? The Vatican or The Shard? A Georgian terrace or a 1960s housing estate? Ever wondered why we stopped building beautiful old buildings and how architectural modernism came to dominate our skylines? This week we discuss the theory of the Tartarian civilization. It claims that our most ornate buildings are the work of a lost civilization called the Tartarian Empire and attempts to explain the rise of architectural modernism. We set out the theories for and against modernism, deconstruct survivorship bias and new urbanism and discuss a famously anti-modernist town designed by Prince Charles. Nick presents a taxonomy of theories that may explain divergent tastes in architecture and we share our own architectural predilections. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Whither Tartaria?

Do you remember the Suez Crisis, Soviet Union, using a phone box, smoking on planes or 9/11? In this week’s podcast, we discuss the historical present. When does our historical frame of reference start and when does it end? We look at why young people seem to overgeneralise from their experience and whether knowledge and values are generation-specific. We discuss the Beloit College Mindset Lists, the British sitcom Are you Being Served?, and Mini-discs, before finally testing our own subjective timeline from a list of historical events. For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image: CatJar via Wikimedia Commons

Square-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans and 1940s clothing are all subject to aesthetic considerations. Are these driven by the whims of fashion or are they part of a deeper and more obscure notion of ‘good’ taste? In this week’s podcast, we discuss taste. Are there objective elements to taste or is it purely subjective? We discuss the case of John Lewis, Hipsters, Donald Trump, and the Russian aristocracy. We explore the barber pole model for fashion and ask if there is a difference between social status and taste-making ability. Finally, we rank our own taste. For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image: Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr